Papa Joe’s Realistic Marketing Tips

How many times have you caught yourself saying that there could be no other solution to a particular problem – and that that problem leads to a dead end? How many times have you felt stumped knowing that the problem laying before you is one you cannot solve?

No leads. No options. No solutions.

Did it feel like you had exhausted all possible options, traveled down every avenue and yet are still before the mountain – large, unconquerable, and impregnable? When encountering such enormous problems, you may feel like you’re hammering against a steel door. The pressure of having to solve such a problem may seem overwhelming.

But rejoice in the fact that there might be some hope yet!

With some creative problem-solving techniques you may be able to look at your problem in a different light. Breaking the problematic mountain down into smaller pieces may be one such technique that leads to possible solutions…

First of all, in the light of creative problem-solving, you must be open-minded to the fact that there may be more than just one solution to any problem. And, you must also be open to the fact that there may be solutions to problems you thought were unsolvable.

Now, with this optimistic mindset, we can try to be a little bit more creative in solving our problems.

Number one; maybe the reason we cannot solve our problems is that we have not really taken a hard look at what the problem is. Here, trying to understanding the problem and having a concrete understanding of its workings is an integral step in solving the problem. If you know how it works and exactly what the problem is, then you have a better foundation towards solving the problem.

Try to make the simple statement of what problem is. Try to identify the participating entities and what their relationships with one another are.

Take note of the things you stand to gain and stand to lose from the current problem. Now you have a simple statement of what the problem is.

Number two; try to take note of all of the constraints and assumptions you have of problem. Sometimes it is these assumptions that obstruct our view of possible solutions. You have to identify which assumptions are valid, in which assumptions need to be addressed.

Number three; try to solve the problem by parts. Solve it going from general view towards the more detailed parts of the problem. This is called the top-down approach. Write down the question, and then come up with a one-sentence solution to put it into perspective. The solution should be a general statement of what will solve the problem. From here you can develop the solution further, and increase its complexity little by little.

Number four; although it helps to have critical thinking aboard as you solve a problem, you must also keep a creative, analytical voice at the back of your head. When someone comes up with a prospective solution, try to think how you could make that solution work. Try to be creative. At the same time, look for weak links in the armor of that solution.

Number five; it pays to remember that there may be more than just one solution being developed at one time. Try to keep track of all the solutions and their developments. Remember, there may be more than just one solution to the problem that only come to light when analyzed thouroghly.

Number six; remember that old adage,” two heads are better than one.” That one is truer than it sounds. Always be open to new ideas. You can only benefit from listening to all the ideas each person has. This is especially true when the person you’re talking to has had experience solving problems similar to yours.

You don’t have to be a gung-ho, solo hero to solve the problem. If you can organize collective thoughts on the subject, it would be much better.

Number seven; be patient. As long as you persevere, there is always a chance that a solution will present itself. Remember that no one was able to create an invention the first time around.

Creative thinking exercises can also help you in your quest be a more creative problems solver.

Here is one example.
Take a piece of paper and write any word that comes to mind at the center. Now look at that word then write the first two words that come to your mind. This can go on until you can build a tree of related words. This helps you build analogical skills, and fortify your creative processes.

So, next time you see a problem you think you can not solve, think again. The solution might just be staring you right in the face. All it takes is a little creative thinking, some planning, and at times, a whole lot of work. But with pratice it does get easier…

Stay Positive!
PapaJoe.

There is one hard and fast rule in generating income for your website: A steady flow of website traffic. If no one goes to your site, it hardly has a chance of generating an income. Many sites have tried and failed in doing so, and this results in the sites demise.

It Does take money to maintain an income generating site; it also takes money to make money.

BUT, it doesn’t take a whole caboodle of cash to generate website traffic for your site in order to make that much needed money.

Ever wonder how those big hit sites drive traffic top their site? Most of them are spending tons of money to drive the traffic to their sites, investing in many advertising campaigns and different forms of marketing schemes and gimmickries. This is all worthwhile because, well, they are what they are now, high earning, big hitting websites.

If you’re like me, you don’t really have their resources. There are many ways to generate low cost website traffic without having to spend what you don’t have or can’t afford. Many people have banked on high cost methods and have ended up losing their shirt over it.

Here I present to you five very effective ways to generate low cost website traffic that could help your site a whole lot. Even if you only get a small percentage of successful ‘visitor to client ratio’ it still works well, especially if you get a high number of website traffic.

Exchange Links

This is a sure and proven method. Rarely would you see a site where there is no link to another site. Many webmasters are willing to exchange links with one another so that they could produce more public awareness about their sites. You’ll soon see and feel the sudden upsurge of the traffic coming in to your site from other sites.

A major prerequisite in exchanging links with other sites is having the same niche or content as the other site. They should share a common subject so that there is continuity in the providing of service and information to what interests your target traffic.

Exchanging links also boosts your chances of getting a high ranking in search engine results. It is common knowledge that search engines ranks high sites that have inbound and outbound theme-related links. With a good ranking position in the search engines, you will generate more traffic in your website without the high costs.

I have just opened an new link exchange, feel free to check it out Here. It’s brand new and very plain looking right now, I am still working on it, but with the systems I have under the hood, it will become a high traffic exchange in the very near future!

Traffic Exchange

This is like exchanging links but on a different higher level. This may cost a bit more than exchanging or trading links but could be made cheaper because you get to earn credits. You can use those credits when viewing others traffic, while you earn credits when someone views yours.

Traffic exchange services are the viewing of another’s site or page. This is done vice versa where a site can use your sites contents and so can you to his or her site. You both benefit from each others efforts to generate traffic. The other sites visitors can go to your pages and know more about your site as well as theirs. Once again the public awareness of your sites existence is boosted.

You can find one such traffic exchange site (and a lot more) Right Here. It’s also an excellent place to post free classified ads…

Write and Submit Articles

There are many directories, e-zines and online encyclopedias in the Internet which provides free space for articles to be submitted. If you want to save costs, you can do the articles yourself. There are many freelance writers who are willing to write for you for a small fee, but to save money, it is wise to do those articles yourself.

Write articles that are themed along with the niche of your site. Write something that you have expertise on so that when someone reads it, they can feel your knowledge about the subject and will be eager to go to your site. Write articles that produce tips and guidelines to the subject or niche your site has.

Include a resource box at the end of your article that can link them to your site. Write a little about yourself and your site. If you provide a light, information-laden and interesting article, they will go to your site for more.

You can submit your articles and have them syndicated around the world for you at my article directory. When you write your own articles, this is a Great form of totally free exposure that can result in more traffic to your site!

Start a Newsletter

This may sound like hard work because of all the articles you may need to use to build a newsletter, but on the contrary, this is not so. There are many writers and sites that are willing to provide free articles as long as they can get their name in your newsletter. This will also provide free advertising for them as well.

As your newsletter gets passed around, you can widen your public awareness and build an opt-in list that will regularly visit your site.

Join Online Communities and Forums

This only requires your time, knowledge and desire. You can share your knowledge and expertise with many online communities and when doing so, always include your websites URL as well. You can get free advertising when you go to forums that have the same subject or niche with your site.

Share your advice on the topics and let them see how knowledgeable you are with the subject. As you build your reputation, you also build the reputation of your site, making it a reputable and honest business that could be frequented and trusted by many people.

It is very important that you establish yourself in these communities as an expert in your field. Never post what might be mistaken as a blatent ad for your site or products… Simply help people as best you can and you will be amazed at the traffic (and income) that will flow your way in exchange!

If you are sincere and genuinely try to help people, this will be evident and your profits will soar… I personally know this to be true not only online and offline, but also in life in general.

This is what my new site is about over at BetterMarketingWays.com, as well as my membership sites, my resource sites and even my blogs. I sincerely want to help people get what they want in life, and I have been rewarded for this in ways I had never expected…

I hope this article and this blog are helping you!
If you have any suggestions , comments or questions, please feel free to click on the comments link below and let me know.

Yours in Success,
PapaJoe

I ran across this quick, 5 minute video tutorial that has a few good money making ideas on how to add multiple affiliate links to your blog.

PapaJoe

They use viral marketing by e-mail as a marketing tool… what did you think I meant? Viral marketing can work well for B2B (business to business) providers, as long as the following is true:

1. The product or service has to add value for the sender, as well as, the receiver.

2. The offer has to be deliverable. You don’t want to offer a product that you can’t deliver if demand grows rapidly.

3. The offer has to be easily transferable to others. E-mail and Web pages provide the best medium to facilitate this.

4. The best viral marketing campaigns use existing networks to move the message along.

The basis of viral marketing has been around for a long time. The idea is that you entice your customers or referral sources to pass on something about your business to their network of colleagues and friends. Those that pass on your information get something in return. The something might be a gift or service related to your business.

Using e-mail makes it incredibly easy to pass information on to a friend or colleague, especially if it involves something fun or f’ree. With millions using the Internet worldwide, the potential for exponential growth is tremendous. The great things about viral marketing are that it is free and works virtually by itself. Once you make an offer and provide the facility for referrals, viral marketing spreads like… well… a virus…but the good kind.

To implement viral marketing at your business; first, start with your customer base. Entice existing customers to refer new ones. Second, go to your referral sources. Service providers, outside your network and colleagues can also be encouraged to provide referrals that lead to business. You just have to make it beneficial for them to do so.

If your customers are stressed business owners, offer a reward that provides relaxation and leisure… like a weekend away.

To Your Success,
PapaJoe.

Those of us who regularly shop on line are familiar with the array of f’ree gifts, f’ree bonuses and just plain f’reebies that are offered to a visitor to a website to encourage them to buy. How could you collect, select and offer f’ree gifts, which will be valued as much as the original merchandise that is being purchased, put these gifts together and add them to your E-book? There are just three steps to do that very thing. They are:

1. Identify your key words in each chapter of your E-book. Now, type those words into your favorite search engine. You are looking for f’ree E-books on the same subject in more depth, by a greater expert than you are, or by someone who gives a new and fresh angle to the topic. Add a link to the f’ree E-book in each chapter of your E-book.

2. Research the Internet for related f’ree gifts. Now you are looking for things that you could give as f’ree gifts in your E-book that will make it more appealing and give it more pass-along appeal to your readers. For example: If you are selling gardening supplies, find a planting guide on the web that can be downloaded and include that as a gift in your E-book.

3. Download the f’reebies. Visit the f’reebies pages on those web sites. Most sites have f’reebies and encourage you to distribute them.

Other key words I searched for are f’reebies, f’ree E-books, and f’ree reports and then gave the key word that I wanted the f’ree stuff for. Like… “f’reebies for gardeners”.

Give your reader the best that you can offer. Give them your book, additional reading material and f’ree gifts to boot. Everybody loves a bargain!

Of course, if your E-book is about Internet Marketing, you can bypass searching for f’reebies and just join us at PapaJoesWorld.com where you’ll find Over 1000 downloadable marketing f’reebies!

Here are six ideas to help you start your viral marketing campaign:

1. Purchase the branding rights to a viral E-book. Allow people to give away your free E-book to their visitors. Then, their visitors will also give it away. This will just continue to spread your ad all over the Internet.

2. If you have the ability to set up a forum or other bulletin board, you really have a great tool. Allow people to use your online discussion board for their own website. Some people don’t have one. Just include your banner ad at the top of the board.

3. Do you have a knack for web design? Create some templates, graphics, etc. and upload them to your site. Then, allow people to give away your free web design graphics, fonts, templates, etc. Just include your ad on them or require people to link directly to your web site. Make sure that you include a link back to your site in the copyright notice and require them to keep your copyright notice in tact.

4. Write an E-book. Allow people to place an advertisement in your free E-book if, in exchange, they give away the E-book to their web visitors or E-zine subscribers.

5. Write articles that pertain to your product or service. Allow people to reprint your articles on their website, in their E-zine, newsletter, magazine or E-books. Include your resource box and the option for article reprints at the bottom of each article.

6. You can easily find products on the Internet that will sell you a license allowing you to distribute the product free of charge to other people. Look for those products that provide “branding rights”. That is where you can include your own name, website, and contact information.

What is RSS?
You probably have seen this three-letter acronym in the course of your Internet surfing. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary; syndicating means republishing an article that comes from another source such as a website.

An RSS is a means of publicizing updates about websites. It may or may not include a summary and photos of the latest posting. But those that provide summaries (thus Rich Site Summary) allow users to skim through the article so that they could decide later on if they want to access the website source. The RSS feed usually contains the title of the update originating from the website. It is also usually the link to the website source.

What are the benefits of RSS?
RSS gives benefits to both readers (users) and web publishers.

1. It gives you the latest updates.
Whether it is about the weather, new music, software upgrade, local news, or a new posting from a rarely-updates site learn about the latest as soon as it comes out.

2. It saves on surfing time.
Since an RSS feed provides a summary of the related article, it saves the user’s time by helping them decide on which items to prioritize when reading or browsing the net.

3. It gives the power of subscription to the user.
Users are given a free-hand on which websites to subscribe in their RSS aggregators which they can change at any time they decide differently.

4. It lessens the clutter in your inbox.
Although your email address will be required to enjoy the services of online RSS aggregators, RSS does not use your email address to send the updates.

5. It is spam free.
Unlike email subscriptions, RSS does not make use of your email address to send updates thus your privacy is kept safe from spam mails.

6. Unsubscribing is hassle-free.
Unlike email subscriptions where the user is asked questions on why s/he is unsubscribing and then the user would be asked to confirm unsubscribing, all you have to do is to delete the RSS feed from your aggregator.

7. It can be used as an advertising or marketing tool.
Users who subscribe or syndicate product websites receive the latest news on products and services without the website sending spam mail. This is advantageous to both the web user and the website owner since advertising becomes targeted; those who are actually interested in their products are kept posted.

What are the drawbacks of RSS?
The disadvantages of RSS use are brought about by its being a fairly new technology and some user-preference concerns.

1. Some users prefer receiving email updates over an RSS feed.
People are creatures of habit, so if email updates are working for them, they may not be willing to change. Therefore you must use both forms of updating your subscribers so not to leave anyone out…

2. Graphics and photos do not appear in all RSS feeds.
For conciseness and ease of publication, RSS feeds do not display the photos from the original site in announcing the update except for some web-based aggregators

3. The identity of the source website can be confusing.
Since RSS feeds do not display the actual URL or name of the website, it can sometimes get confusing on what feed a user is actually reading.

4. Publishers cannot determine how many users are subscribed to their feed and the frequency of their visits.
Moreover, they would not know the reasons why users unsubscribe which could be important in improving their advertising.

5. RSS feeds create higher traffic and demands on the server.
Most readers still prefer the whole update over a brief summary of the entry, thus they still access the site.

6. Since it is a somewhat newer technology, many sites still do not support RSS.

How do I start using RSS?
There are two things needed: an RSS feed and an RSS aggregator or reader. The RSS feed comes from an RSS-supported website. There are also websites that provide a list of RSS feeds of different websites. An RSS aggregator is used to read the RSS feed from the source website. It scans and collects data on latest RSS feeds from the worldwide web.

An aggregator comes in two forms: a downloadable program also known as desktop aggregator and an online or web-based aggregator. Downloadable aggregators may require payment before they can be acquired, while Internet-based aggregators are usually free of charge. All you need to do is to register an account then you are ready to use their services. Both versions allow you to customize or choose which RSS feeds to enter. Paid aggregators are usually chosen by more experienced users and they usually allow more freedom in customizing feeds.

1. Choose an RSS aggregator to use.
For beginners, web-based aggregators are recommended since they are usually user-friendly. Just do a search on the Internet for “web-based aggregators” for a good place to start.

2. Scan the homepage of your target website for the RSS or XML button.
It contains the RSS code you need to enter in the aggregator. Copy this code. Syndic8.com provides a directory of websites that support RSS.

3. Paste the code (which contains the URL of the website) in your aggregator.
There is a space provided for pasting the code in both web-based and local (on your computer) aggregators.

After you have done these three easy steps, you can start reading the RSS feeds coming from the website. New postings appear as they are published real time at the source website.

RSS and Internet Marketing
The original idea of RSS came from Netscape, where their intention is to provide a means for users to customize their personal homepage to contain links to websites that interest them, similar to bookmarking websites.

The application of RSS to Internet marketing was an unforeseen development to RSS technology developers. Since users are given the freedom to add RSS feeds to their aggregators, those who are interested in particular products and services available in the Internet can now be notified real time. Marketing becomes more specific to interested people and not a hit-and-miss operation.

Those who intend to use RSS for marketing their products and services should consider linking up with email account providers, (e.g. Yahoo, MSN, Google mail); networking websites (e.g. Friendster, Multiply, My Space, Hi5); websites of newspapers and television network websites (e.g. New York Times, CNN) for medium to big-scale companies. Small-time industries can also look into networking websites as well as personal blog websites (e.g. Blogspot) and websites of clubs and organizations that would probably make use of their products or services e.g. a fishing supplies store can look for the website of their local fishing club for possible RSS marketing.

Clearly, RSS is an innovation in information management in the worldwide web as well as online marketing. We can expect better RSS technology in the not-so-distant future as its popularity increases among users and website owners alike.

DO NOT be left behind! Get the information you need to get a handle on RSS and start using this futuristic marketing TODAY! In Fact, I have compiled an in-depth guide you can download Right Now to help you get started. So don’t put this off any longer! Download this easy to follow guide explaining RSS Right Now… Simply Right-Click Here and save this PDF guide to your computer. Then read it and TAKE ACTION!

Google Notebook, I think this latest product in the Google labs may have universal appeal.

This handy program allows you to organize your notes and clippings as you surf the web.

Instead of just bookmarking a site in your favorites and then trying to remember why you did that, with Google Notebook, you can highlight what you want to remember about a site and hit the “clip” button.

You can then organize your notes however you wish and then search through your note text at any time.

It’s a simple browser plugin that goes in your browser’s status bar at the bottom of the screen - so you don’t have to worry about having yet another tab at the top, taking up space. Versions are available for IE and Firefox. It took less than a minute to install on my system. So far I love it and it works great!

You can even publish and share your notes with others.

Can you use this tool as a marketing tool?

I’m not sure yet… but since you have total control over what you put in it and then you can publish it to the world, I would have to say there’s got to be a workable angle here… We’ll have to see!

Here’s where you can read more about it and gain access to this neat little tool:
http://www.google.com/notebook/

I’ll be back this weekend with a MMD Alert about my new eCourse so many of you are asking about and the URL where you can gain full access to my mini course for f.ree! The Master eCourse is already finished, but I’m still putting the final touches on your f.ree mini course, so keep in touch…

PapaJoe

26) Develop a relationship with all your visitors and customers. Tell them how much you appreciate them visiting your web site or buying your product. Invite them to online and offline events like free chat room classes, parties, dinner gatherings, business events, etc. Send a personal thank you email to each customer who makes a purchase if at all possible

27) Hire a business coach to help improve you and your business. That could help increase your sales, motivate you, balance your workload, etc. It would be like having an extra brain. You would double your thinking power.

28 ) Avoid being too comfortable with your income or life. You should always be making new goals for yourself and developing new sales ideas. The world keeps changing and if you pause too long, you might miss out. You only live once, do it with a purpose!

29) BUT! - Make sure you don’t become a workaholic. Your mind needs time away from your business life. This will help your brain think clearly while you are working. The best time to get profitable ideas is when you’re not thinking about them. They just pop into your head out of nowhere at times!

30) Create and follow short/long-term goals for your business. The short-term goals can create early success and the long-term goals can create future and lasting success. Design each goal so they all add up to your ultimate goal. Don’t make your goals too unrealistic otherwise depression and frustration could move you farther away from them.

You Can Move Mountains a pebble at a time…

I hope you enjoyed this series of 30 Amazing Advertising Tips and I hope you will put any or all of them into action. Remember to set reachable goals and then break those reachable goals into steps and FOCUS on one step at a time. Once a reachable goal is reached, that should be another step toward reaching your ultimate goal. Try to weed out unnecessary distractions such as spending way too much time reading email, or writing email or spending time on forums or surfing, or “doing research” or reading blogs - (except for this blog)

If you would like the PDF version of “30 Amazing Advertising Tips” with free distribution rights, you can download it Here. Right-Click and save to your computer.

Thanks for stopping by, be sure to subscribe to our RSS FEED so you don’t miss any updates! (or freebies)

21 ) Allow your visitors to reprint the content on your web site. Just ask them to include your resource box and a link back to your site in exchange. This will help turn your content into a traffic machine and the external links will help increase your ranking in some search engines.

22 ) Provide a free contest or sweepstakes at your web site. It’s a fact, people like to win things. If you can fulfill that need, people will visit. You can also attract them to revisit by holding one every week or every month. You could also start an opt-in list for people who enter your contest or sweepstakes so you can follow-up with them on a regular basis.

23 ) Save time and money by using ad submitters. You will reach a larger part of your target audience far more quickly than by manually submitting your ad. You should manually submit your ad to the most popular web sites so you have a better chance of being listed or placed in a good position, but for an every day task, use a simple submitter. You can find these all over the ‘net just by typing in “Ad Submitter” in any good search engine.

24 ) Just like Mama always said… You don’t get a second chance to create a good first impression. You will not be able to sell very many products if your visitors think your web site looks unprofessional. Use crisp graphics, attractive color combinations, a readable text size, even spacing, even margins, bold headlines, indent benefits, etc. You cab find help with all of this and more as a member of PapaJoesWorld. (Whatcha Waitin’ for? - It’s Free!)

25 ) With everything that is designed to GRAB your attention on the ‘net, this tip is a tough one to accomplish. Stop procrastinating and start finishing all your business tasks. Try making a list and do one thing at a time. Don’t get caught up thinking that you can never get them all done. I usually do the most crucial things first and move down the list. Cross off each task as you complete it. You must always be prepared to take action, but learning to focus on the task at hand is something that you will soon find out as an invaluable asset…

Check back tomorrow for the final five tips!
PapaJoe.